


Higanbana

by Cookieman



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Human, Eventual Happy Ending, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 13:16:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18779032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cookieman/pseuds/Cookieman
Summary: Peter sighs “Look, kid, this just isn't going to work out”“We build a life for ourselves. Chris has a daughter your age for god's sake. I don't need another child” It isn't said disdainful, but Stiles gets sick from the way he makes it sound like common sense.





	Higanbana

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea for this story from a discussion on the Steter Network Discord.  
> Basically it revolved about a Soulmate AU where Stetopher doesn't come together because Peter and Chris think Stiles is too young. I hope I did it justice.  
> But because I cannot leave it at an unhappy ending I'll most likely write a second chapter where they can make up somehow.  
> So people that like unhappy stuff they can just read the first chapter and people who do not can hope for a happy ending^^
> 
> This is also unbetaed so sorry for any mistakes.

When Stiles is four and the stalks of his soulmate's flower begin to grow, his mother tells him how lucky he is because two flowers are growing on him, not just one.

They go together to buy his first leather bracelet that day.

Stiles is naive enough to believe her.

When Stiles is six his mother becomes sick. She forgets things, sometimes she forgets even him.

One day Stiles hears her call the Police because a ‘strange child’ is in her home.

Stiles is so shocked he runs into his room, throws himself on his bed and bawls.

Ten minutes later his dad enters his room, gives him a pitying look and tells him to stay in his room for the rest of the day.

Stiles nots weakly and feels betrayed.

But he hasn't lost hope because his soulmates are out there, right?

When Stiles is seven his mother dies and it is the most miserable time of his young life.

He sees how his dad breaks and how he drinks in the evenings, too caught up in his grief to deal with his son.

Stiles tries to go playing with Scott as much as possible. He can't stand the house anymore, with his dad not there or drunk into stupor.

When he has to be home he stays in his room.

He's used to it really, it's the first rule his father told him after his mother began to forget him more and more.

Stiles feels alone, but he knows this isn't forever because his soulmates will be there for him one day.

When Stiles is 8 his father gets better.

He doesn't really know why, but he has a strong suspicion that Melissa has something to do with it.

He also notices that the stalks on his arm are closely intertwined.

Stiles is really happy again, finally.

Still even if his soulmates aren't his only hope anymore, they are still his strongest, because Soulmates are supposed to love you no matter what, right?

When Stiles is 13 the flowers on his arm begin to grow buds.

The color seems to be a fairly similar dark purple shade, but while one of them has a larger single bud, the other has many little ones.

Stiles tries to find out what flowers they are, but it isn't that easy when he doesn't know how they look in bloom and he has to give up without real results.

He cannot wait until he meets his soulmates and they will bloom.

When Stiles is 16 and grocery shopping, he bumps into a man and he can feel one of his flowers _bursting_ into bloom.

The man turns quickly and stares at him surprised.

He is the most gorgeous man Stiles has ever seen before, with his brown hair and a V-neck that leaves a crucial part of his pectorals visible.

“I-I'm Stiles”

Stiles stammers overwhelmed by his emotions, he has found one of his soulmates!

The stranger eyes him dubiously then calls out “Chris? Could you please come here?”

Another handsome man turns around a corner.

This one has so much silver in his hair that his original hair color is too difficult to discern.

“Peter? What's wrong?” Chris asks and Peter just answers “This is them” nodding in Stiles direction.

He doesn't sound as happy about it, as he should, Stiles thinks.

Stiles shakes Chris’ hand and sure enough his other flower blooms too, but Chris is kind of unresponsive, his hand hanging limply in Stiles’ grip.

In the depths of his mind he begins to fear this will go horribly wrong.

Nah, he can win them over right?

After both men and Stiles properly introduced themselves(turns out Chris is the father of Allison, the girl who moved to Beacon Hills at the start of the term with her mother and who is Scott's soulmate) they agree to meet at a cafè the next day.

Stiles doesn't really like it, (because shouldn't they be all over him already? They _waited_ for him after all) but he goes with their plan.

At home, he straight up sprints into his room to _finally_ look up, what flowers stand for his soulmates.

They are a wolfsbane and a great forget-me-not and he binge reads everything he can find out about them and after that he looks up his soulmate's names.

Peter seems to be a successful lawyer and Chris is the largest weapons dealer on the west coast. They are living together in L.A.

He also calls Scott and tells him that he has found his soulmates but doesn't mention that one of them is Allison's father because _awkward_. That can wait for later, right?

Scott congratulates him and wishes him luck for the next day.

His father doesn't come home that night, so Stiles cannot tell him the news.

Stiles is sure it will work out in the end.

He is wrong. When Stiles arrives at the cafè Chris and Peter are already there and they do not really seem that content to see him.

He feels incredibly unsure as he sits down.

“Hello” he tries to smile but he knows it doesn't reach his eyes “How are you today?”

“Fine” Chris answers curtly. An uncomfortable silence spreads longer and longer between them.

Finally Peter sighs “Look, kid, this just isn't going to work out”

Stiles is shocked speechless and his eyes jerk towards Chris but the man doesn't object.

“We build a life for ourselves. I have a _daughter_ your age for god's sake. I don't need _another_ child” It isn't said disdainful, but Stiles gets sick from the way he makes it sound like _common sense._

He feels as if there is suddenly no floor under him anymore. Later he cannot remember how he managed to not make a scene but he is grateful for it.

He just feels _empty._ “I understand” he forces it out pretty evenly “Just one thing” he adds and his stomach revolts when he sees the men’s eyebrows climb higher in doubt “Show me my flower”

Chris unceremoniously removes his bracelet and Stiles sees the wolfsbane and a red flower.

It's petals curl up like claws and the whole blossom is wide and expansive.

The stalks aren't intertwined, but the mysterious red flower kind of leans in the wolfsbane’s direction, the wolfsbane however curls away as if to avoid any contact.

Stiles heart plummets. It is plain to see that he is an unnecessary third wheel.

“The Red Spider Lily also known as Higanbana” Peter quickly offers.

Stiles has heard enough. He stands up and makes to leave but Chris calls out for him before he can “Please don't tell Allison”

Stiles wants to vomit but he can push out “I won't” and _flees_ before he can really register the apologetic looks or the “Good luck” thrown his way.

When he is in his room he closes the door and slides down as if his strings were cut.

He cannot stop crying that night and he has never felt that alone before.

His soulmates always where his hope for love in the distant future, but now they do not want him. He has got nothing.

The next day in school Scott asks how it went and Stiles tells him the truth without mentioning any names.

Scott is really supportive, but because he is with Allison all the time, Stiles can’t help but avoid him for a few weeks and his best friend lets him grieve.

Eventually Stiles kind of gets over it.

Of course a ratty teenager like him isn't _worthy_ of such successful people, but if he works really hard to get on their level they will surely notice!

Stiles looks up the higanbana too and has to accept that the flower's symbolism for death and loss suits him very well.

The next years Stiles works himself to the bone.

He even manages to beat Lydia Martin in the race to be valedictorian. He gets into the University of California and studies criminology.

He does everything he can to get into the FBI and when he graduates and is accepted at the FBI Academy in Virginia he is excited enough to forget that Peter and Chris never contacted him again.

He keeps a few tabs on them the whole time. Peter wins many high profile cases and Chris manages to acquire a former competitor.

Stiles is happy for them even.

After the Academy however he crashes.

One day as he gets home from a case he _feels_ how well he would have fitted with the older men.

Suddenly he cannot _bear_ having them on his skin and he finds a tattooist willing to conceal it.

As a motive he chooses _his_ flower, the higanbana. It loses three petals but generally stands strong on his arm, covering the shame of being unwanted by the people who should hold him dearest.

He tells his colleagues his flowers withered because his mates died and he gets a lot of support from them.

He also tells this story to his dad, Scott and Allison and they are sympathetic as well.

In time he loses himself in his work and the occasional hook-up. He mainly goes for older men and hates himself for it. He cannot truly let them go, but he cannot have them either.

Roughly ten years after the whole disaster began, Stiles managed to get vacation and is visiting Beacon Hills for his dad’s birthday, when the doorbell rings.

Working in the FBI has cemented his parent’s advice to always check the spyhole and he almost gets a seizure when he sees Peter and Chris standing on his father’s porch.

He thinks about ignoring them, but his dad is here and he would open the door anyway, so Stiles swings the door open and coldly asks “What do you want?”

He wears a short-sleeved shirt and it gives him a grim sort of satisfaction when their eyes drift towards the tatoo and widen in shock.

“Stiles, we heard you would be here today…” Chris began. Allison must have mentioned it to them,but Stiles wasn’t in the mood to let him finish.

“And why do you want to talk to me, exactly?” he interjected and looked at them with cold expectancy.

Their nervousness was palpable. They certainly shouldn’t lack self-confidence, keeping in mind their jobs, but Stiles found himself smirking darkly as they shifted around unsurely.

“We wanted to apologize for what we did” Peter continued and Stiles cold detachment vanished instantly.

“What makes you think I need your apology?” if looks could kill, the two older men would have died on the spot “Maybe my memory is faulty, but if I remember correctly _you two_ were the ones that did not want anything to do with me!”

“Stiles, you have to understand. You were _16_!” Chris seriously had the gall to try and _reason_ with him.

“I do not only speak of our first and second meetings!” Stiles was positively livid “You want to know why I am where I am today?” He stepped on the porch and almost poked his index finger into the other men’s faces “At first I worked so hard to become _worthy_ of you two, but eventually I discovered it was futile. All those years when I _wasn’t_ 16 anymore, when I graduated college and then the Academy and I heard _nothing_ from you. I get it, ok? You are happy without me. And now you _dare_ to show up here as if nothing ever happened!?!””

Stiles pointed towards his tattoo “ _I_ am happy without _you_ too. I don’t need or want you anymore,I do not have to _put up_ with you just because there are _flowers_ on our arms, you certainly educated me about that childish dream” Stiles couldn’t help the dark chuckle that escaped him after that.

Peter and Chris looked stunned. Stiles noticed that he most likely looked like that ten years ago, and it felt so _good_ that the other men seemed to feel a similar pain than what he carried in his heart since that dispicable day. But he really didn’t have the time or energy to deal with them anymore.

“Now, get lost or I’ll call the station” he dismissed them and closed the door in their faces.

It was small gratification but it certainly was gratification, even if it was more lie than truth that he was happy now. But it had to be enough after all.


End file.
